Red Flag of Courage
by Mister Vix
Summary: This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen! A red flag borne over the thick fur of Toboe’s shoulders, and suddenly the gray wolf knew one thing for certain; to enter Paradise, the key must be death.


**Red Flag of Courage**

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Disclaimer:  
...boo. I don't own Wolf's Rain.

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Author's Notes:  
Gyuu. The final few episodes of Wolf's Rain inspired me to try and do a good fic to help make up for all the total crap one finds in the Wolf's Rain section.

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Bounding. The crack of the gunshot still rang in the air. Faster, faster! Get there quicker!

The gray wolf ran straight through the tearing, howling wind, into the silence that followed it. No, no, no no no no _no!!!_ This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen! A red flag borne over the thick fur of the other's shoulders, and suddenly the gray wolf knew one thing for certain; to enter Paradise, the key must be death. The gray wolf knew, for there was no other way. No way the smaller wolf—he was still a pup!—would be so denied entrance, here, almost to the final gates. They'd come so far, only to have him fall now...? No; the gray wolf would not believe it. Toboe had not fallen. He'd merely taken a few steps ahead of them. Tsume the gray wolf was certain of this. The red flag of courage and self-sacrifice was Toboe's ticket to Paradise.

But a wolf could never go alone. Tsume had learned this in his own fashion. To be alone meant to become cold and bitter, and Toboe could do no such thing. He would wait for them, wait outside of Paradise, wait for him—wait for Tsume. Wouldn't he? Tsume was suddenly afraid to be alone.

Kiba and the others had gone on. The gray wolf had told them to. In the silence, the wind held its breath so that Tsume might speak. His quiet words fell on deaf ears; Toboe bore the red flag that spoke of his passage, and that flag had muffled his senses to the living world. But Tsume knew that Toboe would wait and listen anyway. The gray wolf knew that, somewhere out in the chill air in which his soft speech traveled, Toboe listened with head tilted, eyes bright with curiousity and cheerfulness. He was out there and waiting, waiting for Tsume to join him, and they would go together into Paradise. It was meant to be.

Now! Now! Up the mountain; springing, leaping, racing. The human was falling; but the gray wolf could not catch him. No, he was gone, smashed apart on the stone below, and Tsume wondered if Darcia's words were true, that the humans had no place in Paradise. The gray wolf watched in silence over the cliff, and he thought Darcia had no idea what he was talking about. Then up, up, fast as can be done. There was something going on high above, but all that dominated Tsume's thoughts was the fixation of a red flag spread across a red wolf's shoulders. He heard a scream, and his eyes widened, his fangs bared in a snarl. Toboe was waiting, wrapped in his red flag, and the rest would be joining him—soon, soon.

Hige was begging him, begging him to kill. Hige'd always borne a collar; he'd lost one and gained a new one, of deep crimson. But that didn't matter. For all Tsume knew that Paradise was the final destination of the wolves with the red flags, he still thought it twisted and bitter that he was the one to deepen Hige's, turn it true. The other wolf's final words whispered in his ear, and they were words the gray wolf would never forget, not in this life or the next; "Let's meet again, next time..."

Onwards, upwards, there he was—Darcia the wolf, his fur was the black of a deep bruise, and his eyes were filled with madness. He'd lost it all and now he was taking it all. But he did not know of the red flag which granted one entrance to Paradise. The gray wolf charged.

Fangs sinking into flesh and pulling away, flying through the air, body smashing and breaking against stone, force yourself up again—the pain is only temporary—blood smearing the rock; why was Darcia's blood red? He was as far from them as a wolf could be, and yet his blood was red—fur flying, claws scraping, jaws snapping viciously.

The black wolf's fangs bit deeply into the gray wolf, and he knew; a red flag for Tsume, his ticket had been given to him. Darcia was running away. Down, into the chasm. Kiba looked back, the white wolf offered his hand; Tsume snarled at him. Didn't he understand?! Once the wolf had been given their red flag, they were going to Paradise. He didn't need any help. He would find Toboe on his own; Toboe, who had been the first wolf to receive his red flag of courage. The first, the most deserving. He would follow Toboe into Paradise. Vision growing spotty, he said something softly, which he knew would be heard by the wolves with the red flags who were waiting for their companions; "Let's meet again, next time..."

He titled his head back, and he howled. To let Toboe know he was coming. To say goodbye to this terrible land. He slid to the ground, and his red flag spread beneath him, marking; the gray wolf to go to Paradise. He had to find Toboe.

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_Crunch!!_ "Damn!" the tall man kicked his sputtering bike in frustration. Of all the times for the thing to stall out—!! At least he hadn't been in the middle of traffic, or some impatient asshole might've run him over. The motorcycle had been working fine until today, and now it had mysteriously gone on the fritz. Sighing, the man pulled off his helmet, holding it loosely in one hand. It wasn't much good to him if his bike wasn't working.

"Hey, need a hand, mister?" it was a young voice, and he snapped his yellow-eyed gaze immediately to the left, spotting the boy who spoke to him. Chin-length reddish-brown hair, bright eyes, the kid looked up at him, curious and slightly concerned.

"Unless you know howta fix a bike, no," he replied shortly, looking away across the street in hopes of finding some nearby garage to get the piece of machinery checked out and find out what was wrong. He was very aware of the boy studying him, but chose to ignore it. No luck; there didn't seem to be any sort of repair shop or anything of the like on this street. He would have to hunt around town and find one. Damn.

"Hey mister...?" the boy said suddenly, as though to remind the older man he was there. "Do I...know you...? You seem really familiar..." The pale-haired fellow looked down at the kid once more, now considering. Yes; something about the young boy definately rang a bell, but what? Then his eyes narrowed, and the boy took a step back. He had seen, or thought he'd seen, or imagined...a scrap of tattered red fabric draped across the boy's shoulders, almost like a shawl. A red flag; beaten and war-torn and old. Used. But _there_. The red flag of courage. _Let's meet again, next time..._

"...Toboe?" he gasped the name out, and the boy smiled but didn't yet seem to understand. But Tsume did. "You remember me...?"

"I...think...?" he was confused now, not understanding. But the pale-haired man reached out, touched the boy's shoulder. The red flag was there, and he picked it up, held it out, and Toboe tilted his head. Then his eyes went wide, and bright, and his voice was a bare whisper,

"Tsume?!" a grin, a nod, and the boy through himself into Tsume's arms. The gray wolf held Toboe tightly, broken bike forgotten, red flag clutched in his hands. The red flag of courage. The boy looked up at him, smiling, tears coming to his eyes. Then, "Where're the others?"

"I don't know, but we'll find them—just look for a red flag."

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Endnotes:  
Gyuu...


End file.
